Cauldron Baby
by Eloeehez
Summary: An American exchange student comes to Hogwarts, meets Harry, oh yeah, and there's a bit of a surprise in store for everyone. Not your typical American at Hogwarts story. Reposted. On Hiatius.
1. Acceptance

**A/N:** I am reposting all the chapters to this story with little edits. I am cutting down on details some since there have been complaints (and even I don't like reading it a whole lot. I have my mental image anyways.) This is kind of an alternate 6th year story, so whatever you know to be canon has been wadded up and tossed out the window. I will try to get farther this time around.

**Disclaimer:** Yes, I am using an OC. No, I don't own Harry Potter. Duh. If I did I wouldn't be writing this. I do own stuffed animals seen throughout the story, random objects, and insane ideas.

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**Chapter 1: Acceptance**

Semoya sat on her floor with her back against the pale blue comforter of her bed. She looked around for something other than her fingers that she could use to open the letter she just received, but there was nothing. Opening the letter from her school apprehensively, her long fingers almost shaking with excitement, she drew a deep breath and pulled out the piece of parchment. She applied last year for the Wizarding School Exchange Program, and this letter would either be her test scores or a response from the exchange program.

Brushing an escaped strand of auburn hair behind her ear she unfolded the letter, black eyes sparkling with hope. She read it slowly and carefully. The normal: Dear Ms. Silverstone told her nothing of the contents, other than it was official. Excitedly she read on. Unable to hold back the squeal of excitement that escaped her lips, she jumped off the floor and practically flew down the stairs to show the letter to her adoptive parents, Janice and Kevin, as they insisted she call them. According to them, she had been given to them when she was a year old. She was born in England, but she didn't know much more than that. It was one of her greatest dreams to see her homeland. Even though she had grown up American, she knew her birthplace would just feel right in the end.

"I was selected!" She practically screamed. Janice turned from her cooking; smiling at the bouncing girl after spelling the spoon to keep stirring, green eyes sparkling. Even fifteen year olds could act like six year olds occasionally.

"Oh, that's wonderful honey." Janice said, giving her a hug, blonde hair mixing with auburn.

"See. Dreams do come true." Kevin said, coming up behind her and flicking her ponytail. "Where are you going?"

"It says that I will be going to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Thank you for letting me do this." Semoya told them, eyes shining with tears.

"You deserve it." Janice told her. "When do you leave?"

"I didn't get that far." Semoya admitted with a laugh. Reading further down, she was rather startled. "It says they would like me to be in the country for at least a month. My letter with school supplies will be sent to me there." She looked up aghast. "Where am I supposed to stay for a month? That's a lot of money. I'd have no hope of getting supplies."

Kevin and Janice shared a look before Kevin left the room. "When he gave you to us, your father told us that we were to give this to you when you needed it, if you ever needed it." Kevin came back and handed her a piece of parchment, grey eyes serious. Semoya looked at it apprehensively before unfolding it. It was the deed to a large amount of land and a house. The name of the land was Gooseberry Park, and the house was called Prentice Hall. She looked up startled.

"Moya, whoever your parents were, they intended this for you whenever it should arise that you needed it. It's your true home." Kevin told her, using her nickname, running a hand through his brown hair.

"But I like you guys and this is my home." She said, absentmindedly fingering the silver, crested ring she always wore around her neck, an unconscious motion. The crest was a tan 

hawk in front of two crossed silver swords on a background of wide vertical stripes, the center stripe dark blue and the edges dark green. It was one of the few things that had come with her. The only other things were her wand and a teddy bear, Whitie, which she still slept with occasionally.

"We know, but this place is also your home. Probably your ancestral home. You can at least stay there until term starts." Janice told her, giving her another hug. "Now go and pack. You should probably leave tomorrow. It's already the 28th. You don't want to miss your plane do you?" She pointed to the ticket in her acceptance letter. It was set for the next day. With a grin Semoya tore off up the stairs to pack her trunks with everything she could possibly need for the year, both at the house and school.

As she packed her robes she started to wonder what the weather and scenery would be like. Whether there was a dress code at Hogwarts, what it looked like, whether she would be accepted, whether she would be teased or shunned. Packing her favorite blankie, and Whitie, she tried to mentally list all the things she felt she'd need. Toiletries and her lesson books were a must, parchment and quills, money, music, and instruments. Grabbing her guitar and violin she prepared to shrink them. The Underage Magic laws in the US were lenient. One could perform small spells and charms, unless they were in the presence of muggles, and then all magic was strictly forbidden.

She left her wand out since she had been taught that it was never a good idea to be without your wand. Her wand had evidently been specially crafted for her since it had been with her as long as she could remember. It was 12 inches long and made of ebony with a padduck handle. The shaft had carved snakes on it, their tails coiling around the hilt until they extended their heads away and halfway down the wand. She wasn't all that fond of the design. The woods were ok and contrasted nicely, but still, she wasn't fond of snakes.

Just as she was closing her second trunk there came a knock on the door. Opening it she found Janice and Kevin standing there, big smiles plastered on their faces.

"We figured you deserved this a little early for making the program." Janice told her as they pulled a new broom from behind their backs. Sitting on it was a stuffed white tiger. Taking the broom she gasped.

"A Silver Streak!" She exclaimed, throwing her arms around Janice's neck. "Thank you, thank you, thank you!" She hugged Kevin also, smiling from ear to ear. She was eager to start on her way, even if it meant being alone in a strange country on her birthday.


	2. Impressions

**Chapter 2: Impressions**

Standing in the airport with her adoptive parents, Semoya found herself more nervous than she had ever been. Thankfully only a few looks were spared in their direction. Being dressed normally enough helped, but most people seemed to find it odd that she was taller than both her parents. Kevin was 5'4" and Janice was an even 5', while Semoya stood 5'6". There had never been a lot of specifics as to why she had gone up for adoption, other than she was unable to be properly cared for. The only other specifications she had been told was that she was to go to a wizarding family and go to the nearest wizarding school as soon as she was of age. Evidently tuition had been paid by her real parents, because Janice and Kevin said that they didn't have to pay. Finally her flight was called.

"Love you honey." Janice told her, giving her a kiss on the cheek.

"See ya kiddo." Kevin said, giving her a short one armed hug.

"Thanks." She said, rather breathlessly as she flipped her ponytail over her shoulder. Picking up her muggle suitcase, into which her trunks had been shrunk as to not appear conspicuous, and heading through the loading gate she spared one last glance at her only known parents, waving happily.

As the American shoreline faded, she got the impression she wouldn't see it again. _Honestly, I'll be coming back for the summer._ She chided herself. _It's not like I'll be staying forever. I hope I like it though._ Shaking that feeling off, she slipped on her headphones and sat back in the seat. Being raised in a wizarding family didn't prevent her from adopting muggle things. In fact, half of her neighborhood was muggle. It was because of this and her muggleborn babysitter that she had started to develop her love of music.

Her first contact with a CD player was a moment etched forever in her memory. Walking into the room and seeing that piece of equipment that produced music was like magic. Of course she knew it wasn't magical so she couldn't have one since muggle stuff and magic didn't seem to get along. Then she had almost broken the thing to figure out how it worked. That hadn't been good, but she had quickly learned about the muggle device so as not to do that again. She hoped that this wouldn't be the last time she got to listen to her CD's. Semoya let her eyes close and sank into both her music and sleep since she hadn't gotten much the night before.

When she awoke she looked out the window to discover a shoreline approaching. It truly tugged at her heart. Janice had been right. It felt like she belonged here. Putting her CD player away she prepared to land.

After going through customs, she stepped outside and was struck by the realization - she didn't know where her 'house' was. Janice and Kevin had told her of Diagon Alley, so she tried 

to find that first. Apparently they had been here a few times arranging the adoption, even though her father had personally brought her to their door in the US.

They had told her a little about him, and the fact that he had been so terribly sad in doing so nearly broke their hearts as they took her. Apparently he had told them how much he loathed doing this, but it was to protect her and provide her with the love he knew he himself could not give her. This led her to assume that her mother was dead.

With the rough street names and directions they had provided, she was finally able to get there. Inside the Leaky Cauldron she was surprised. Not only had she never been in a pub, but she had never been around so many Brits. Their accents seemed somehow right, and the people familiar. Following their directions she finally made it into Diagon Alley. There was so much to see, she wasn't sure where to start. She hadn't had time to gather much information about this country or Hogwarts. Looking around the place she was nearly overwhelmed.

Upon seeing a large white building labeled Gringotts Bank she decided to start there. Currency was most likely different here, and if she expected to get anywhere, she needed some. Feeling out of place in her muggle clothes she walked along the crowded streets, taking in as much as possible. Finally she made it up the steps and in the doors of Gringotts, which were opened by goblins. After getting her money exchanged she headed back into the open air. She had not only gotten the British wizarding currency, but also a rather large amount of British muggle currency as well. _Galleons, Sickles, and Knuts. I've got to remember that._ Semoya thought. She felt odd dragging her suitcase with her, but she had nothing else to do with it.

Finally she managed to stop a witch who told her the best way to find something she had no clue about the location or how to get there would be to use the Knight Bus. The witch told her, 'if it's possible to go there, the Knight Bus can take you there.' The witch hurried off before Semoya could find out if calling a bus here was like calling a bus in America, so she hoped it was the same, if not at least similar enough to get her by.

When Semoya finally set her bag down at the gate of Gooseberry Park, she was glad to finally be there. The ride on the Knight Bus had been something else. Like the half crazed dash of a constipated wiener dog. Not that it was any weirder than the looks she had received from those on the bus when she disembarked. It had taken a few attempts to call the bus, but she had figured it out. Looking through the wrought iron gate, she saw mostly foreboding trees. Then, finally, in the distance, a large manor house that looked a lot like a haunted house from a movie. She shuddered at the sight. Pushing on the gate, she half expected it not to open, but it did, and without a fuss or sound. _Must be magically preserved so it doesn't rust itself shut._ Semoya thought. Cautiously she proceeded up the drive.


	3. Exploring

**Chapter 3: Exploring**

In the fading light Semoya could see that the house would require a lot of work. She only hoped that strict underage magic laws weren't in effect here. Slowly walking up the creaking steps she looked at the dark shutters and peeling paint. The house itself was a dark gray and covered in moss, making it look even worse. The doors were heavy looking and painted black with long slender windows in them. She shuddered as she reached for the handle, which was, disturbingly enough, shaped like a snake. Suddenly remembering that it could be charmed to only open when a password was said, she looked on the deed to see if there was something said there. It only said that The Heir could command the house. _Might as well give it a try._ She thought.

"Umm, open." She said, and was surprised when the snake did indeed look at her as the door swung open. She realized that it probably wouldn't have liked it if she had grabbed it like any other doorknob. "Okay, that went well." She stepped into the dark hall, looking around at the creepy hangings, fixtures, and overall style of the house. "Well, I guess I can assume that my relatives were really twisted and creepy. I don't know if I ever want to meet them."

Setting her bag down she started to examine the house. There was a large staircase in the hall. There were two sets of double doors on the left side of the hall, the second set almost hidden in the shadow of the staircase. On the other wall there was another two sets of double doors, and on the back wall there was a single door on either side of the grand staircase. This place seemed to be made for regal, and dark, first impressions. Walking over, she opened the first double doors on the left, her footsteps ringing loudly on the stone floor. Inside she discovered a large sitting room. She could hardly see anything it was so dark, but everything she could see was decorated in dark colors, mostly green and black. A large fireplace stood against the far wall. There was a large couch and several chairs. She could barely make out the shapes of candles on the tables and in fixtures on the walls. It was a wizard home, definitely. She shuddered at the snake decor. Since she had to live with them on her wand, snakes had become one of her 'I can tolerate them although I thoroughly despise them' creatures.

Pulling out her wand, she decided that she could risk a charm. "_Lumos._" She muttered, her wand lighting up the hall. If there was no reaction she figured that no underage laws, or lenient underage laws, existed here. If there was a reaction she decided she'd have to go around in the dark until she figured out how to light the candles, seeing as there would no doubt be no matches in a wizard house.

She waited tensely for a few minutes, but nothing happened. Then she wandered back into the sitting room, or living room. She hadn't decided which it was. _Maybe it's the den._ She thought idly. Dust hung in the air and she examined the furniture, which she was now able to see was black. The darkness of the place made her shiver. _I think my 'ancestors' were dark witches and wizards._ She thought, deciding to change the color as soon as possible. Her eyes swept along the left wall, the green drapes and dark windows. They stood stark and bleak with not much of a view. That made it seem so cold.

Semoya looked to the hearth again. Noting that there was some wood, she decided to start a fire. After opening the flue and checking to see that the chimney was clear, she arranged some logs and started a fire. _I'm glad there's no underage magic law here._ She thought in relief as the comforting light from the fire played around the room. She noticed a set of double doors on the wall that had previously been to her right. No doubt they led to the same room that the second set of doors in the hall did.

Pushing them open she discovered a library. She stared at the books lining the wall. The hearth in this room also had a stock of logs near it. There were no windows because there was no room for them with all the shelves of books. The chimney was also clean in this room, and had evidently not been appealing to birds either. Again starting a fire she noticed a table in the center of the room, at the same time noting that the theme around here seemed to be green and black. Taking a closer look, she saw that the wood wasn't painted, it was simply walnut and ebony.

Walking out of the doors to the entry hall, she noticed that there was a small door set into the wall under the stairs. Most likely storage, but she didn't really feel like opening it right yet. Storage was usually a place that wasn't very pleasant to go, usually having been ignored and unattended for years. Chances were there would be a lot of dust, spider webs, and possibly strange creatures that had spawned themselves in the years this place had been left unattended.

Opening the door on the back wall, she found herself looking into a bathroom. A black and green bathroom, the only change silver fixtures. Semoya noticed a small, thin cabinet, also walnut, stood in the right corner.

_No doubt there are potions and other toiletries in there._ She noticed that there was black soap in the bathroom, dusty, but no doubt black. _I wonder if the plumbing works?_ Semoya thought idly, turning the tap on. Rather surprisingly water flowed out of it immediately. Not surprisingly though it was cold. Turning off the tap and leaving the room, she was suddenly aware of just how dark it was. She noticed that the green and black décor also seemed to extend itself to the candles. Walking back into the library she picked up a candle with a holder, took it to the fire, and carefully lit it. She then moved to some of the candles on the wall, deciding she'd use what was there, but she'd make a list of things she'd need at Diagon Alley, or any place she could find them for that matter.

She moved quickly through the library and back through the living room, lighting a good number of candles to shed light. Back in the entry hall she lit all of the candles and moved across the hall. The first door on her right opened into a large dining room. Walnut and Mahogany presided here, and Semoya decided that whoever she'd inherited this house from had not only been a dark witch or wizard, but also a rich one. Walnut and some types Mahogany were rather expensive woods, and they were used at length in this house. Just as she had figured, the carpet was also green here, and she lit the candles both in the sconces and on the table. There was a single door set in the middle of the left hand wall that led to the kitchen.

Gingerly Semoya entered the kitchen. Thankfully it was pretty clean, but it looked pretty well unused. The green marble floor looked practically new, and the black granite countertops 

were unmarred. Looking around she spotted a cutting board that also looked pretty fresh. The black cast iron stove sat in the corner like a dark creature waiting for something. She opened the cupboards to discover several items, all packaged in unique ways.

_I wonder when expiration was on these things?_ She wondered, not entirely knowing whether wizard packaging prevented spoiling or not. Nothing at her house had ever sat long enough for her to find out, and she didn't pay much attention. She took some of the stuff out and left through the double doors. Walking back to her luggage, she opened the muggle suitcase and pulled her trunks out. Once they were on the ground they had been spelled to un-shrink, which they did, she set the package down and grabbed out a piece of parchment, using a quill to start to scribble down a list of things she needed. The first few items were simple: candles, food, cookbooks, and wood polish, but she still had two more floors and the outside to explore. Heading to the last door, Semoya opened it to find a set of stone stairs descending into what was no doubt a basement, or more likely a dungeon. She shivered at the thought, but carrying both her wand and a candle from which to light more candles, she descended the stairs.

It was dark and damp as she had expected, but from first appearance, at least it was relatively clean. She scanned the area. There was a wall to wall workbench on the left, drawers and doors all firmly closed. A rather large open space in the middle of the room was size enough for many many cauldrons. Along the right wall there were several floor to ceiling cupboards and shelves. Some contained books, while others contained potions ingredients. All of it was covered in a generous amount of dust, and most of it was probably spoilt.

It was a pity really, potions was such a fun class. Semoya hoped she'd enjoy it here as much as she had in America. Transfigurations and Potions were her favorite. Charms and DADA were her next favorite and best classes. She stayed as far away from Divinations and Arithmacy as possible. She would have liked Astronomy if she could just stare up at the stars and lose herself in their beauty. As it was there was always work to do and just not enough time to admire the stars. Muggle Studies had always been a little interesting, and Ancient Runes had held some promise. She loved to stare at the pictures in the Care of Magical Creatures books and imagine if she could have some of those animals as pets, and Herbology was nice enough. She started to wonder how her skills in these classes would add up to her new peers'. Her eyes drifted to the back wall and the large, stone, snake adorned door there. Slowly she approached it.

She really hated this place now. Way too many snakes. There was another snake handle, she growled lightly at it, and then commanded it to open. Like the handle on the door upstairs it moved and then the door opened, swinging out towards her. Semoya stared, stunned beyond belief. It was an enormous vault, full to the top with galleons and, from what she could see; jewels, statues of gold and silver, and other priceless items.

_No doubt dark items in there as well._ Semoya thought snidely. _Just what I need. More problems._ She reached for some galleons, but paused when she felt a tingling sensation in her hand. Suddenly it was gone, but nothing happened. Letting out the breath she'd been holding, she continued forward. _Apparently I passed the inspection._ She thought in relief. _Probably protective spells so that only _The Heir _can get in here. Or maybe it extends to blood relations._ 

Grabbing a few galleons she shut the door. This whole Heir thing was starting to get really annoying.

Once back upstairs she put the galleons in her purse and turned towards the stairs. There was a runner on the stairs, green with a black center. Taking a deep breath she started up the staircase. Once at the top she looked around. A thick railing made of cherry surrounded the other sides of the stairwell opening. There were two oak doors on all the walls. She started in front of her. The doors on both that wall and the left wall opened into bedrooms. She knew she'd have to claim one, but right now they were too dark and drafty, so she left them without even lighting candles. The wall, she had figured out that it faced North, had a bathroom, and then a game room, or so it seemed. There was a chess set on one of the tables that was sitting there. The bathroom was like the one downstairs, except the fixtures were gold.

Moving on she discovered that the doors on the West wall opened into studies. She ran her fingers along the wall as she rounded the corner, jumping back with a scream as the two corner panels slid into the wall revealing another study. Pausing a moment to allow her heart to slow, she cautiously stepped forward into the doorway. She didn't dare enter, lest she get trapped. _I'll explore this later. Much later._ Semoya decided nervously.

It was very dark, and she didn't know what time it was because she didn't know how many time zones there were in between her and Idaho. By the darkness she figured that she should try to sleep soon, just to get into the swing of things. _I really don't want to stay in any of those bedrooms._ Semoya thought. _I guess I could just sleep down in the entrance hall. May not be the most comfortable place, but it's more inviting than those rooms right now._

Heading back down to the entrance hall she got out some of her blankets, and a pillow, setting up a modified bed. Deciding it would be better to blow out the candles than risk them burning down or starting a fire, she headed back through the rooms, with only her candle this time, and blew out all the candles, except those in the entrance hall. She pulled grates in front of the fires and decided to leave them burning. Once back in the entrance hall she blew out all of the candles, except for two which she set on the floor near her makeshift bed. There was no way she was sleeping in the dark here in this crazy place.

_It has its own dungeons and secret rooms. I wouldn't be surprised if there were also secret passages all over the place._ Semoya thought as she searched through her bag for the sleeping draughts she'd brought for just this purpose of getting herself adjusted. Her hands ran into something that crinkled, and slowly she uncovered it. Gasping she saw that there were several birthday presents nestled into her trunks. Janice and Kevin must have put them there. Laying down and taking a sip of potion she was almost immediately asleep.


	4. The Morning

**Chapter 4: The Morning **

When Semoya awoke she knew that it wasn't really morning. The potion she'd given herself wouldn't keep her asleep for the whole night; just put her to sleep for a while. Eventually she would feel the effects of only getting a few hours of sleep, but for now she was wide awake. Looking out the windows she could see the pale light of the false dawn and knew that it was closer to dawn than she'd expected. Getting up she quickly folded her blankets and blew out a candle, leaving only one to carry around and light others. Checking on the fires she saw that they were simply dying embers. She decided that leaving them would be alright. Looking around she noticed more of the rooms. The den (as she had decided to call it) was actually rather comfortable looking, except for the color. There were tables strewn about with candles and other assorted objects on them. The windows were pretty dirty, which made Semoya remember her shopping list.

Walking back out to the hall she grabbed her list and an inkless quill. She never got the opposites of some names. Inkless quills were simply quills that never required dipping. Shaking her head, she wondered what exactly people were thinking when they named things like that. Quickly she scribbled down window cleaner. Suddenly she wondered if there was a book in the library that had cleaning potions in it. Grabbing her candle she walked into the library and started searching the shelves.

Most of what she found was not pleasant. There were poisons, restricted potions, potions for torture, and even some for immortality. Many of the books were on dark arts and blood charms. There were however none on common household spells, charms, or potions. She pulled some spell books off the shelf hoping to find some gardening, cleaning, and cooking spells. She had opted not to take the home-ec class at her old school, and now she regretted it. For that very reason she didn't know the spells that would help her clean and cook. There was always doing it by hand, but then it would take her months to get the place even half livable.

Flipping through one, something caught her eye. Reading a page about a body freezing charm, (It sounded really nasty actually. If cast on a living person it would keep lowering their body temperature until they died of hypothermia) she discovered that they specified both sides of the spell and the counter spell, meaning that it wasn't just a dark spell. If cast with hate, anger, and or cruelty, than it was dark, but if cast with love, kindness, and or the desire to protect it was a light spell. She set the book, _Power Spells: What you need to know _on the center table, deciding that a more thorough examination of the books would be in order, but knowing that none of them contained what she needed at the moment.

_I wonder if some of those blood magic books will tell me how to identify, and reverse spells._ Semoya thought, writing: cleaning supplies and books on her list. As she thought about cleaning, she realized that she would need to see what sorts of things were in the bathroom. She had brought some hygiene supplies, but she'd figured wherever she went would have some, that or she'd buy some more.

Heading into the bathroom she examined the soap sitting on the sink. It looked semi-usable, but it just didn't appeal to her at all. Next she went over to the cupboard and opened it. 

Inside were some common potions for headaches and other small maladies, but not much in the shampoo, conditioner, and feminine products area. On her list she added bathroom stuff. The towels were still in fairly good condition, but since she planned on changing much of the color scheme, she thought new towels, rugs, and shower curtains would be in order. Making a sub-note of that, she also added wall color charms and transfiguration books to the list.

Next she went into the kitchen next, and started in on the cupboards. Most of the items appeared to be pre-made, but she had no doubt that they were old, seeing as a rather thick sheen of dust coated them. She knew that some items could last for a long time if packaged properly, but most wouldn't. Searching through the drawers, Semoya found only a few sporadic kitchen utensils. There was a wooden spoon, a few forks and knives, a couple plates, and three cups. _Not a lot to work with here._ Semoya thought, adding kitchen supplies to the ever growing list. _This is going to be a long boring day of shopping._ _While I'm at it, I might as well look at the potions supplies too._

Once down in the dungeons she headed over to the ingredients shelves, starting to organize the potions into groups. There were four groups: 'bad', 'I don't know', 'good', and 'I don't know what it is, so I'm not going to mess with it'. Semoya sighed. There were quite a few ingredients that she knew had spoiled. Her list didn't seem to want to be ending anytime soon and she hadn't even made it upstairs. Looking at the books, she saw that most of them were advanced potions books, and ingredient classifying books.

Next she started going through the drawers and cabinets. There were three cauldrons and a small collection of vials, stirring spoons, and knives. She walked over to the vault again, told it to open, and grabbed some coins, completely ignoring the tingling this time. On the way to the stairs she grabbed the largest book on potions ingredients she could find. Pulling out her purse and shoving the extra coins inside, she set it back down on the floor, dropped the book off on the library table and headed upstairs.

All of the bedrooms were pretty similar. The corner rooms were a little larger, the one on the East wall had a queen, the other had a double, as did the center room, and the one next to the secret study had a single. Each had the same black and green theme, Mahogany desks with matching chairs, and an armchair in front of the fireplace. The room with the queen bed had a lot of soot in the chimney, and it made Semoya add chimney cleaning charms to the list. She was pretty sure there was a charm or spell for that since she'd heard one of her old classmates mention such a thing.

_I really need to re-color these rooms, or at least one wall for now so I don't have to keep referring to them as the room with this bed, or in this location. _Semoya thought. _It's going to give me a headache. Oh, and while I'm at it, I should probably get new mattresses for all of the beds too. _ Next she went over to the studies, deciding to leave the secret one alone for now. The color scheme there was the same as the rest of the house, with the exception that the fireplace marble was dark blue. Looking up on the mantle her eyes locked onto a hexagonal tin. Walking over to it, she pulled off the lid to find floo powder.

_Maybe I could floo to Diagon Alley._ She thought excitedly. Then another thought struck her. _What if the house has been disconnected from the network?_ That little thread of doubt made her stop and consider the possibility seriously. _I guess I'll have to ask about that, _and_ take the Knight Bus. Again._ Scribbling more items, she thought about going outside, but her stomach decided to remind her that she hadn't eaten yet, and so instead of doing more she changed into a set of royal blue robes, grabbed her wand and purse from where she had set them on the floor, and headed out to catch the Knight Bus.


	5. Diagon Alley

**Chapter 5: Diagon Alley**

"'Choo stayin' in out there?" Stan asked as she boarded the Knight Bus, searching her dark green eyes for the answer, although she doubted he could find it there.

"A treehouse." Semoya answered sarcastically, but could immediately see that they actually believed that. Now she started to wonder if there were charms on the house to make it invisible to all but blood. With all the books in the house about blood magic she didn't doubt that as a possibility. By the time she reached Diagon Alley, she was glad that she hadn't eaten yet. She was sure that any food that had been in her stomach wouldn't be there now.

After a quick stop for breakfast at the Leaky Cauldron, Semoya started out to do what she had to do: shop. Her first stop was Flourish and Blotts. Looking around she could tell that this wasn't going to be quick or easy since she had only a general idea of what she needed and had no ideas about titles. Three hours later she approached the counter with a large stack of books she hoped would help. She figured that even if they didn't help, she could learn a few extra things.

"Would you like these to be shrunk?" the counter lady, whose nametag identified her as Doreen, asked. Semoya was confused, and it must have shown on her face. "You are underage, aren't you?"

"Yes." Semoya answered, and then something dawned on her. "I'm from America, so I'm afraid I don't know the wizarding laws."

"Oh, well, underage witches and wizards can't use magic outside of school. You become of age when you turn seventeen and take a test to prove you can do the magic required." Doreen answered, "Now, would you like this shrunk?" She held up the package.

"Yes, please." Semoya answered, her mind reeling from this new information. _How is it then I can do the magic and not be detected?_ Semoya wondered, walking out of the store and looking around. _Is it a charm on the house? How many charms _are_ on the house? Can I kill my ancestors for this? _

Next Semoya headed to the Home Supply House. Looking around she saw an assortment of a lot of things she needed. She headed to the bathroom supply area. The amount of colors was staggering and Semoya stared for a few moments before her brain started to work. _Colors. I need colors that will go together, be appealing, and that I like._

"Can I help you?" A sales witch asked politely.

"I don't know. I'm remodeling my house, and I need some new bathroom accessories." Semoya said. "I just need to figure out what colors I want in there now."

"If you have any questions, don't be afraid to ask."

"I will. Thanks." Semoya said before turning back to the collage of colors before her. _Green and black are out of the question. For that matter, all dark colors are. I want the room to have a lighter, more soothing atmosphere._ Semoya could check off certain colors just by that. _Not navy blue, or maroon, or brown. Hmm…maybe a lighter blue or yellow. Maybe even pink or purple…nah. I don't want this to be like a frilly Valentine room. Downstairs first. Blue of some sort. Now for the shade of blue. Almost any blue will go with silver._ Semoya mused for a while, weighing all the pro's and con's of each shade.

Without realizing it she got caught up on deciding colors and soon almost an hour had passed. The good news was that she now had new color schemes for most of the rooms, that is if she could figure out how to change everything.

Semoya started walking towards the candles and cookware but got sidetracked by rugs. There she found a large royal blue rug that she thought would go perfectly in the entrance hall. She picked up a few other rugs for the kitchen, and a runner for the stairs. Dragging herself away from the oriental rugs, she reminded herself that they needed to be functional and be able to stand up to the years. One thing she was unable to resist was buying herself a leopard print rug that she'd put at the side of her bed. A fantasy of hers was to have an animal print room.

The thing that she was most excited about finding was long lasting wood polish that would prevent and repair scratches, and repel dust for a full year. When she finally made it to the candles, she was once again surprised. Her lack of shopping experiences, at least in the home décor related area showed. There were so many types of candles she was sure that she'd find some joke ones too. Some automatically lit when the room got dark, others lit only when a person was near, and other types only shed light in a room with a child for parents checking on them in the middle of the night. She supposed the reasoning on the last one was to keep people from using it to perform crimes. Deciding to limit the number of types of candles she would get to only normal and ones that lit when you entered the room, Semoya started looking at the colors more closely. She grabbed enough candles she figured that she wouldn't need anymore for a year.

Going to the cookware next, she noticed that type and embellishment also varied quite a bit here. Anything from solid pewter to gold trimmed with silver was arranged on the shelf in order of price from cheapest to most expensive. Looking at them, Semoya knew that she'd end up wanting a full set, so that's what she looked for. A full, sturdy set of pots and pans.

Then she went to utensils. There were so many types of wooden spoons, Semoya wondered who exactly, except for maybe her ancestors, would want to buy solid walnut spoons. The decision came down to pine and ash. After a struggle she decided on the pine, not knowing why there had to be so few things at her house and so many things here.

For dishes, she was flabbergasted. She had thought that there were a lot of options on cookware, but there was even more in the dishes department. Anything from solid color, to kaleidoscopes of colors so bright they seemed to blind you, to ones that had moving shapes, and ones that changed color, some on their own, some depending on the temperature of the food or room they were in. Looking through some of the patterned and decorative ones, she decided to 

go plain color, or maybe one or two colors. Staying out of the darker colors, Semoya started deliberating. There were so many colors and choices. Finally she decided on plates that had small ridges running along the edge, in solid pale blue, pale yellow, and white. She also picked up some plain glasses.

Semoya was seriously starting to wonder at the sanity of the people who owned the manufacturing companies for some of these things. House cleaners were close by so she ducked into that section. By this time she was glad that she'd had more of a brunch than actual breakfast since it was 1:30 now. She had set her watch by the one of a wizard she'd met in the pub briefly.

Absentmindedly walking into the bedroom area, she froze. There in front of her was her dream, alive (figuratively) and moving (literally). A set of leopard print sheets and a leopard print comforter with little leopards running around the edge, occasionally pouncing on each other, was sitting right there in front of her. Quickly finding the right size, she squeezed them to her chest briefly before dropping them into her basket.

Looking around she decided that she could get some sheets and comforters for the other rooms, just so that she could burn the others. Semoya decided to have some fun at her ancestors expense. There would be the yellow room, her room, the lavender room, and then the mint green room. Not that they would ever know, but she did it out of spite anyways.

The mattresses were right there too, and Semoya chose basic mattresses for each, only briefly lying on each type to make sure they weren't outrageously soft or as firm as a rock. Picking up the slips for each one she wanted to purchase, she sighed in contentment. That was the last thing she needed here. Finally she made her way up to the counter, unloading her basket, setting down the mattress slips, and pulling her purse around, ready to pay for the items and be done here.

Gratefully she left the store, her shrunk packages in her purse, which was considerably lighter. Her next stop was the Apothecary. The list of potions ingredients only spanned the ones she absolutely knew about. She suspected that some were probably illegal, and she really didn't want to bring them up, seeing as they'd probably get her into a _lot_ of trouble. Her time there went pretty quickly, but it was just as tiring as everything else. Deciding a small stop to rest was in order, she soon found herself at Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlor eating a sundae. Actually, it was more like relaxing, casually picking at her sundae and watching the people walk by. All too soon she was finished and had to move on.

After leaving Diagon Alley, she headed out to find a muggle supermarket. Not that she couldn't have gone to a wizard one, but some of the items in there were just too literal in their meaning. She had known a few people in the States who had overdosed on Simons Soothing Tea, or find themselves hopelessly overfilled by Mildred's Meal Saltines, which were essentially a meal that had been shrunk and made to look like a saltine cracker.

No, she preferred muggle food that didn't have any surprises. At least none that weren't written on the box, like: Warning: Hot-made from chili peppers and jalapenos. She knew she 

was probably one of the only people who could wear their robes out into a muggle city and not be given a second though. The wonders of American designers had come in handy.

Her robe was form fitting, low cut in both the front and back, short (mid-thigh), and had sleeves that were slit down the top so that they showed off her arms while still having the option of being laced together. Currently it was only laced a short way, making small sleeves while still hanging loose. With her purse over her shoulder, which, in typical wizard style was much larger inside than it looked, she strode down the street and into the supermarket. Her shoes were actually tennis shoes, charmed to look like heels and match her outfit, and they were more comfortable and easier to walk in than heels.

Forty-five minutes later she exited, muggle plastic bags in her hands and on her arms. Typical accident, Semoya had gotten a lot more than she had originally intended. Not only had she gotten pastas, sauces, cheese, sandwich meats, and bread, but also assorted cookies, flour, sugars, and the list went on. The good thing was she was able to carry all of it, albeit a little awkwardly.

Walking into the mouth of an alley, she set some of the bags down and pulled out her wand, being sure to be discrete, since she was still in muggle London. After quickly and quietly calling the Knight Bus she stuffed her wand back into her purse and picked up her bags. Moments later the bus pulled up. This time she didn't give Stan the time to say anything, simply paying her fare and telling him where to go.

"Gooseberry Park, as usual." She told him, picking a chair and settling herself into it. Setting her bags in her lap, Semoya wrapped her arms protectively around them and laid her head back on the cushions of the chair. With the usual bang, they were off, and as usual, none to gently either. Almost too soon they arrived at the gates, and Semoya disembarked, sighing as she started the long trek up the drive.


	6. Work Begins

**Chapter 6: Work Begins**

As she trudged up the long drive, she was suddenly aware of a bush bounding down the drive towards her. She stopped in surprise, and the bush jumped on her like a dog. Catching the bush and steadying herself she laughed a little.

"Never before have I been greeted by a bush." She looked at the bush for a moment. It was wriggling in her arms, almost begging for attention like a dog. "You know, for some reason you remind me of a Scotty dog." Much to her surprise, the bush suddenly became a Scotty dog; the only difference was that it was still leafy and green. Semoya laughed again.

_I now have a Scotty dog bush. Imagine that. I don't think anyone would believe me if I told them this._ Her thoughts made her smile, and the dog bush jumped out of her arms and walked happily beside her on her way to the house. _I guess it'll need a name._ Semoya thought, telling the door to open, and heading inside.

The candle was still burning exactly where she had left it. Setting down her groceries and cloak, she picked up the lit candle, and went through house lighting candles. The dog followed her around before settling himself, Semoya had decided it was a he, on the floor in front of the hearth in the Den. He gazed at Semoya for a moment, is leafy tongue hanging out, a doggy grin plastered on his face.

"Yes, you can stay there." Semoya told him, laughing. Suddenly it came to her. "You know, I think I'll name you Bour Fig." He barked once, seeming to tell her that that was alright, and then laid his head back down. Chuckling, Semoya left the room.

_I'll let the old candles burn themselves out before using the new ones._ Semoya decided, taking the groceries into the kitchen, a few bags at a time. Once in there she started to place the groceries in their respective places. Rather surprisingly there was already a large cabinet with a chilling charm on it that would serve nicely as a refrigerator. There was also a cabinet, smaller, but still generous, that had a freezing charm placed on it for frozen food. _Apparently my ancestors had a _little_ sense in some things._ Semoya admitted to herself grudgingly.

Soon she had the groceries put away, and then she headed back out to the entrance hall, pulling out the items from within her purse. Starting with the kitchen, she un-shrunk the items and started putting them away.

The hardest part came when she started trying to figure out the color transfigurations, starting with the downstairs bathroom. She had done things like this in class, but that was small and only with animals, not whole rooms. After reading, re-reading, and trying to fix it in her mind, she gave it a try. The only thing she actually accomplished was to put an orange spot on the wall.

"Okay." She muttered to herself. "Not even close." About seven tries later she managed to get one wall an off-white. "Better. I don't think I'm going to go pure white, except on the ceilings." Her dialogue with herself made her chuckle. "Great. Now I'm talking to myself."

After much trying and many clashing colors she had fixed the walls and ceiling. The floor promised to be the hardest. Looking through the book, she found a few suggestions as to styling the floor in some way. To begin, she started with light blue. The effect she got was rather interesting. Instead of being pure blue, it was a rippling blue with hints of silver and teal.

_Like water. Cool!_ Semoya studied it for a moment. _Although, I'll probably never be able to do that again._ When she was done the bathroom was blue and Semoya was excited.

"Now I can change any room!" and then she decided to move straight to her bedroom.Grabbing the sheets and other items for the upstairs rooms, she mounted the stairs. At the top, she paused, looking hesitantly at the secret study, wondering if she should go in yet. _Later still. Wait until you do some research on this house and identify some of the charms on it._ Her conscience told her.

Her room ended up with Asian bamboo type matting on the floor and kind of wild safari like borders on her newly tan walls. She'd tried all leopard print, but it was just overpowering. She then proceeded to put the new mattresses and sheets on before moving all her belongings up into the room. Then she moved on to the other rooms, hoping to finish them all before night time.

Methodically she cleaned, shrunk the existing mattresses and sheets, throwing them in the fireplaces to be burned, and turned the bed frames to maple. It was just too difficult to try and make every one different, seeing as she would need to learn new forms of the charms for each one, and she just wanted to get it done now. The other mattresses and sheets went on easily, and Semoya was happy with the results. Each room now had different colored sheets and comforters. Now they all had their own specific names too. Working off of that, she decided to not mess with finding complementing colors and started changing the colors of the walls. The only thing she still didn't bother with was the new candles. The old ones wouldn't last forever, and she intended to burn them down, leaving a few lit in each room.

Walking by the open door to her room on the way to the lavender room, she looked in, her bed now very inviting. Going over to it, she ran her hand along the comforter, and setting the candle on the nightstand before flopping down. She only meant to lay there for a moment, but before she could really even comprehend it, she was fast asleep.

Sometime later she found herself seemingly floating in a soft fog that, technically, was colorless, since it was more a feeling than a sight. The sound of barking, and the feeling of a leaf brushing against her cheek brought her closer to reality. _Am I outside?_ She wondered, feeling the leaf touch her again. _Wait. I have a dog now. A dog that's also a bush. Bour Fig! I went to my bed, and…oh no! I must have fallen asleep! _Opening her eyes, she confirmed that it was indeed Bour Fig who was licking her, and he seemed happy that she was awake. Pulling out her watch, she realized that it was past dinner.

Getting up and grabbing her trusty candle, which was almost gone now, she headed to the kitchen, first preparing a bowl of water for Bour Fig, planning on giving him something else in a minute, but she was surprised when he stuck his tongue in the water and it seemed to just quickly absorb into his leafy tongue.

_Of course! He's a plant, and even though he's a dog too, he must still live off of water and light. He'll need to be outdoors a lot I guess._ Semoya thought as she pulled out a can of chicken noodle soup for herself. Pulling out a pan and a can opener, she set to work on her dinner. Lighting a burner on the stove, she put the soup on to heat up. Setting the table with a bowl, spoon, and glass, she went back into the kitchen. On the way by, she stirred the soup, testing the temp before pulling out some milk, heading back out to the table, and pouring herself a glass.

Growing up in America, she had learned to drink milk with most meals. Now it was simply a habit. Putting the milk away, she went back to the soup which was ready. Taking it out to the table, she realized that she didn't have any hot pads. Grumbling, she went back to where her shopping list sat; all items crossed off, and brought it back to the table. As she ate her soup, she ripped off the top of the list, and then starting a whole new list. The first thing on it now was hot pads.

When she finished her soup, she realized that she was exhausted. _Must be a combination of the shopping, jet lag, and all the magic I've been doing. _Semoya decided. _Usually doing magic doesn't tire me out like this though. Then again, I usually don't do this much in one day._ The rest of the soup still sat in the pot, and since she didn't have any storage containers, she just shoved the whole thing in the fridge. Making a note on her list to get storage containers, she put it on the table.

She still had to sort and store all of her new potions ingredients, but she decided that they could wait until tomorrow as she climbed the stairs, too tired to want to do that now. Putting her wand and candle on the nightstand, she changed into a pair of pajamas that consisted of soft gray shorts and a white shirt that proclaimed: Does it look like I care? Stripping back the covers and placing her pillows on the bed, she nestled herself under the sheets, blowing out the candle before she fell asleep.


	7. Happy Birthday Semoya

**Chapter 7: Happy Birthday Semoya **

When she awoke, Semoya could see that it was already mid-morning. Getting up she almost stepped on Bour Fig, who had slept beside her bed during the night. He jumped up, and she laughed at the silly doggy smile on his face. She headed down the stairs, Fig (as she had decided to call him for short) bounding ahead of her. Upon entering the kitchen, Fig went over to his water dish and begged for more, which she gave him. Then she set to work making herself breakfast. Fixing a quick egg and piece of toast, onto which she slathered huckleberry jam, she went out to the table.

"I really should change the colors of this room and the kitchen." She muttered, as much to herself as to Fig. "Maybe tomorrow. Today is my birthday, and I don't want to do any work really." Getting up slowly, Semoya put her dishes in the sink, planning on cleaning them later, and relaxing today. About that time Bour Fig started barking at the door, so she opened it and let him out. Running back up to her room, she grabbed the presents sat on her bed, preparing to open them.

"No birthday cake. Oh well." Semoya said to the presents. "I've got you." Chuckling she opened the first card.

It read:_Happy_ _Birthday Semoya. Sorry we can't be with you, but remember we will always love you. We're looking forward to seeing you next summer. Love Always: Janice and Kevin._

Putting the card down, she ripped the paper off the rectangular white box. Lifting off the lid she gasped. Inside was a pair of felt leopard print pajamas. Setting them on her pillow, she remembered her stuffed animals. Reaching into her trunk, she pulled out "Whitie", her lamb blanket, and the white tiger she had now named "Stripes". Folding the blanket carefully, she laid it at the foot of the bed and put her animals in front of her pillows.

She was glad that she had brought two pillows with her, and then she remembered her list. Knowing that she would forget the pillows unless she wrote it down now, she ran downstairs and grabbed the list off the small table in the entrance hall. Running back upstairs she jumped on her bed, and, using her inkless quill, wrote pillows on the list.

Grabbing the next present, which was actually two, she found herself rather surprised at the weight of the thing. Untying the ribbon and unwrapping the top present, she was surprised to find a new batch of computer paper. A note on the top said: _For your typewriter._

Semoya grinned. Thanks again to her muggleborn babysitter, Semoya had gotten a taste of typewriting instead of using a computer. Frankly, she liked it better, since she could use it in a wizarding environment, and it didn't have a required start up time, or need electricity. Just put paper in and go. She had brought her first typewriter with her. It was currently packed safely in the bottom of her second trunk. The heavy Royal wasn't too convenient to take everywhere with her, but she could manage just fine.

Opening the second part of the gift, she was surprised to find a strange case. It was a light tannish color with brown leather decorative straps and handles. A zipper came from each side of the back of the case, meeting in the center. Semoya had no clue what it was. Unsnapping and unzipping the case, she opened it. Much to her surprise, inside was a small, light gray Olivetti typewriter. Taped below the little plaque that labeled it as a Lettera 22, was a note. She opened it, and discovered that it was another little message from Janice and Kevin.

It read: _Hey girl. We know you love to type, and that old Royal is so big and bulky to carry around, we decided to get you a typewriter that was lighter and easier to carry around. Janice and Kevin._

Closing that, she picked up the last gift. It felt distinctly like a book. After unwrapping it, she wasn't disappointed. But instead of being any old book, she discovered that is was a photo album, the pictures spanning from the day she was adopted, to just a few days before she left. Kevin loved to document things, and now she essentially had a picture book of her life. Flipping through, letting the memories surface, groaning and laughing with each appropriate situation, she finally reached the end of the pictures.

There were still more pages, no doubt for her to use this year, and then for the rest of her life. Between the last full page of pictures and the next empty page was a silver locket. Imbedded in the front were six small rubies, offset in the top half of the heart. Below them her initials were engraved: SRS. Opening it, Semoya found pictures of Janice and Kevin waving at her. A smile crossed her face as she gently closed the locket and put it around her neck. Incidentally the locket rested just below her ring.

_Interesting._ Semoya thought. _I wonder if they planned it that way._ Seeing the ring reminded her of houses, and that reminded her of all the work that needed to be done. Reminding her of the work still needing to be done, the things she still needed to get, and the charms still on the house. _I guess I could start researching._ Semoya decided. Getting up, she headed down to the library, taking her wand and transfiguration book with her. _Something needs to be done with those chairs. I don't intend on sitting in black chairs._ Looking critically at the room, she decided to start with color, and then move to research.

"Okay, theme color." Semoya said to the inanimate objects in front of her. "I could go blue again. But the bathroom's blue." Chewing on her bottom lip, she studied the room a moment. Finally she sighed in frustration. "Fine, I'll just start with white." With that she transfigured the walls to white. "I like that." She muttered, deciding that it looked a little plain though. The space on the walls above the bookshelves needed something.

Flipping through the book, she found the decorative stencil patterns. One that caught her eye was an intricate twisting vine pattern, dotted with little yellow flowers. "That will do just nicely." Semoya grinned and applied the pattern in one fell swoop. Looking at the carpet, she decided to go completely against the grain, and do the carpet in a light pink. It would not only go well enough with the walls, but it would annoy her dead relatives no doubt. The chairs quickly became blue and yellow as well. After she was done she started gathering all of the 

Blood Charm books she could find. They made quite a hefty stack. Setting them on the table, she picked up the one on top and started reading.


	8. So Much Work, So Little Time

**Chapter 8: So Much Work, So Little Time **

Semoya sat back, popping her spine as she did so. Looking at the pile of books next to her, she discovered that she wasn't even halfway through. As of now, she had a long list of suspected charms on the house. They were ones such as invisibility to all but blood, muggle and wizard repelling, something like a fidelius, but it didn't require a secret keeper, doors and gates locked to all but blood, she figured probably anti-apperation, it was blocked on the Floo Network, and it was probably unplottable. She had seen one ward that would freeze a person until the caster of the wards came and released the person. Only a few places Semoya could think of might have that. The vault, secret study, and possibly the front door or something, and of course, if that was the case, blood recognition charms would also be in place.

"Ugh." Semoya said to herself, staring at the ceiling. "I really need to do something else. I usually like reading, but this is just too much." Getting up, Semoya headed down to the dungeons to start cleaning and organizing.

Putting the ingredients away went faster than taking them down had gone. Arranging them in groups of volatility, plant or animal, and alphabetically took until lunch. Taking the cleaning supplies and setting them on the table, Semoya made herself a sandwich and ate it quickly. Looking at the different supplies, she decided that she'd go outside and clean the windows first. She decided to do it without magic since, not only did she not know if the anti-underage magic detection charms extended outside the house, but it would kill a bunch of the time she had here.

After grabbing her broom and supplies she headed out the front door. Finding a short, thick, sturdy branch, she carried it back to the porch, cast a balancing charm on it and stuck it on her broom. Now she could put a bucket on either end, and no matter what, they wouldn't drag the branch off her broom. Mounting her broom and gathering her supplies, she hooked the branch under the handles of the buckets, and flew to the second story windows.

Semoya discovered very quickly that it took quite a bit of scrubbing to dislodge the layer of thick grime that covered the windows. After a few windows, she had to take a break her arm was aching so much. Looking around she got her first actual glimpse of the grounds. There were many different types of plants, and a garden, but it was all hopelessly overgrown. Shrubs created a design in a small flower garden, the path inside barely visible, winding like a gray snake, covered in the green grass. That would no doubt take a lot of work, even with magic. The flowers were beautiful, even though they were barely visible with all of the weeds around them. Underbrush, broken branches, and downed trees covered the forest floor.

_I'll need to clean all of that up._ Semoya thought, gazing at the treed area, knowing that, that in of itself would take a few days work, a few weeks work without magic. _It's a major fire danger._ Fire dangers weren't new to her, being from Idaho and all, having to deal with pretty big yearly fires in the area. There were a few plots of land that seemed to have been charmed to stay weed free. Semoya started to wonder exactly why those areas were so important that they had to be protected like that. _Maybe there are illegal and dangerous plants in there. Or maybe there are rare plants. Could be a major asset in potions making._ Realizing that her arm was 

now back close enough to normal that she should start again, she returned her attention to the windows and the task in front of her.

Thankfully she got the outside done before dinner. She really had no plan as to what she would do if it took until after dark. Knowing how clean the windows were on the outside, Semoya now noticed all of the dust on the inside. Bour Fig sat on a rug in the kitchen with her as she heated up the left over soup. He had been absent until close to dinner time, and then he had come in with her. She supposed that whatever he had been doing, it made him happy since he seemed greatly contented at the moment. Probably he had been prowling around the grounds. Maybe he was even pretending to be a bush. Wouldn't that be ironic? Taking the soup, Semoya headed out to the kitchen table. _Maybe I should get a small table for the kitchen_. She though, gazing around the large room. _This is really too big for one person all alone._

Over the next few days Semoya worked on cleaning both inside and out. She polished all of the wood inside, not an easy task. There was so much that it seemed it would never end. At times she had to stop to rest because it was both boring and tiring on the arms. During those times she started work on the counter charms. It was after she successfully lifted a wizard repelling charm that two owls came. The first was from Hogwarts, telling of her required school supplies, and that she was expected to ride the Hogwarts Express, boarding from Platform 9 ¾ at 11:00 am. Semoya supposed that she could use the Knight Bus to get there.

The rest of the letter contained a supply list and that was one more thing she could add to the list of things she needed to get at Diagon Alley when she went. The second was from Janice and Kevin, asking how her trip was, what the house was like, and if she needed anything. Her response back was long, enthusiastic, and very detailed.

One thing that she hadn't thought she would do would be to touch some of the numerous dark items in the house. Some like the statue that was a bunch of thorny vines twisted around themselves and holding vials of poison were scary to touch. That one she only minimally polished. On one of the tables there was an emerald snake with obsidian eyes, and creepily it seemed to stare at whoever was in the room.

Strangely enough there were absolutely no paintings at all in the entire house. Whoever had lived in this house last appeared to have some aversion to paintings. Something she couldn't really figure out was the crystal ball in a dragons claws that had a black center. The only idea she had about it was the heart shaped impression in the palm of the hand, if you could call it that.

On the mantle was a shining dagger, the blade sharp, jagged, long, and curving. It looked like it could inflict some serious damage. There were so many other things that she just wanted to throw out, but that made her question just how dangerous they were. As it was, she planned on leaving everything as it was for now. Once she knew the extent of the dangers these items posed, she'd throw them as far away from herself as possible, but for now they had to stay lest they fall into the wrong hands.


	9. Additions

**Chapter 9: Additions**

Semoya had started gardening some, and discovered that there were several gardens, not just the main one you could see. That was simply the biggest. Following several paths she found several different potions gardens. They were organized so that the most used ingredients were closest to the house and in greatest numbers, and the lesser used ones were farther away and a little less in numbers.

Many of the plants were also dangerous, like the Septophyt. Its name literally meant poison by decay plant. Semoya figured this out using her Greek roots. What the plant did was reach out, grab its prey, and using a stinger at its base, injected a toxin that decays the flesh, and then the decaying flesh is absorbed by the plant. Really nasty way to go to be sure. Semoya had read about the plant after she discovered it, and in doing so, she discovered that she had the antidote to the toxin in the basement. It was one of the potions that came with the house. It was readily identifiable by its dark violet color and syrupy texture.

As she got out to the Septophyt's plot, she saw that one of them had a small animal in its clutches, and was pulling it towards its stinger. Compassion washed over her, and she rushed over to the plant, pulling her wand. A few cutting charms later the plant released it's victim. Now Semoya could see that it was a baby bird. Unfortunately she knew very little about birds, so she had absolutely no clue about what type it might be.

Gently picking it up, she cradled it to her chest and headed back to the house. It seemed to be very frightened, understandably so. She stroked its down soothingly, trying to comfort it. It looked hungry, and since she had no clue what it was, she didn't know what to feed it. By this time she was about at the house, and close to the driveway. _Maybe someone in Diagon Alley will know what type of bird this is._ Semoya though as she headed down the driveway and called the Knight Bus.

Upon reaching Diagon Alley she headed into the nearest pet shop, heading up to the counter. When it came her turn, she carefully set the tiny bird on the counter.

"How may I help you?" The clerk asked.

"I want to know what type of bird this is, and what it eats." Semoya answered quietly. The clerk looked at the bird for a minute, and then an expression of wonder came over his face.

"This is a phoenix!" He practically whispered. "They're extremely rare."

"A phoenix…"Semoya said in a hushed tone. "Wow."

"Phoenix's are herbivores." The clerk told her. "So it shouldn't be too hard to find something for this little one, although anything you feed her should be ground into a mush so it is easier for her to swallow."

"She's a girl?" Semoya asked, interested.

"Yep."

"Wow." Semoya gently scooped up the tiny bird. "Good day." She headed out of the store, and almost ran into a giant man.

"Easy there." The giant said. "You'd best watch where yer goin'."

"I sorry, sir." Semoya said weakly, gazing up at the man as he smiled kindly from beneath a very bushy beard.

"No harm done." He told her, and she skirted around him, heading out of Diagon Alley.

When Semoya got home, there was an anxious Fig waiting for her at the gates. As soon as she walked into the property lines, he whined and sat up, looking at the little bird in her arms. Clearly he was worried about her, and wanted to see her for himself. Crouching down, she let him poke his nose into her hands and sniff the little bundle in her hands. Once he seemed satisfied, Semoya stood up again and started towards the house, Fig sticking to her like glue the entire way there.

Once inside the house, Semoya set the little bird down on the table and went to fetch some vegetables to make some food for the little thing. After digging around and finding some, she turned around to discover that Fig had climbed up onto the table and was curled around the bird in a very protective manner. As she approached, he looked up at her, his eyes filled with happiness of a very doggie kind. Semoya's heart filled with joy at the sight of this, and set about fixing the bird's dinner in a contented way.

Feeding the bird was an experience unto itself. Trying to get the goop down its throat was challenging, but at the same time rewarding. She had never been known to have the greatest of aim, and it showed.

"Come on." Semoya coaxed softly. "That's it. That's a good little phoenix." _She's going to need a name soon._ The thought rose unbidden to Semoya's mind as she fed her another bite. _But I just can't think of anything that would fit her. Somehow, I know that there will be a perfect name, I just don't know it yet._ At the moment, Semoya and Fig were just happy to have something more interesting to do than to just clean, and clean, and clean.


	10. Learning The Hard Way

**Chapter 10: Learning The Hard Way**

After a while, Semoya dared try some of the new spells she'd tried to learn, on in particular, the sky ceiling charm, or _lacunar divum foris modo_, which made the ceiling look like the sky. She was pleased to discover that there were many variations to the charm so that you could make it always sunny, cloudy, rainy, or whatever you really wanted. Personally she thought that one like _stelliger noctis_ would be nice for her room. Of course, that would require her to figure out how to make it change to day during the day. Reading further down the page she found that there was a way to have it change by day. The incantations were complex, but what made the spell even harder was that in order to change it you had to cast the spell to the exact same spot, or nothing would happen. Deciding to try it out, she headed first to the yellow room.

"_Lacunar divum modo!_" She said, pointing her wand at the center of the ceiling. A cloud appeared, floating lazily in the middle of the room. Semoya could tell that this would take some time. Finally she got the spell to work, but while the ceiling looked like the sky outside, this spell, unfortunately, would not change with the weather, or by night. It just made the ceiling like the sky outside now. Pointing her wand at the same spot, she used a different version of the incantation. "_Lacunar divum vicissitudo dui._" It still looked like the sky outside, so that was really no help. She'd have to wait until night, or the weather changed or something.

Vaguely she thought that she could see clouds moving, but it wasn't something she could be positive about. Again she changed the incantation. "_Lacunar divum tempestuosus!_" Once again the sky changed, but this time thunder rolled, and Semoya screamed as lightning slashed down near her. Throwing herself to the ground, she barely avoided another streak of lightning. Thunder shook the room around her, and lightning lashed furiously. Rolling onto her back, she said, as quickly and clearly as possible, "_Finite Incantatem!_" Immediately the storm, and all traces of the sky were gone. Breathing a sigh of relief, Semoya sat up. A whine came from the still open doorway. Turning, Semoya saw Bour Fig and the phoenix there. Each stared at her with big, worry filled eyes.

"Don't worry guys." She reassured them. "I'm not going to destroy the house. I don't think." Looking back up at the ceiling she commented, "but that probably wasn't the smartest spell to start with." Looking around Semoya saw the black streaks that marred the walls, and the slightly singed smell in the air. With a sigh, she hauled herself to her feet. "And now I'm going to have to clean this room again." Standing up, Semoya decided to try it again, but this time with a safer version.

A time later, Semoya finally figured it out well enough to suit herself. Well enough at least that it wouldn't blow up the house, although nothing would happen until that evening. Leaving the room she found Fig and the phoenix curled up on a rug in the kitchen. Walking quietly around them, she grabbed herself a drink and headed into the library. Looking around, she decided that the next thing to happen in the house was removing all of the dark or just creepy 

objects from their places and shoving them somewhere safe until they could be destroyed, un-darkified, or deemed safe.

_The vault would be a good place to store things if it wasn't so full. _Semoya thought, and then another task presented itself. Cleaning out the vault so that other things fit in there. _So much for the hope of any free time at all. I had hoped that this wouldn't remind me of school. No free time at all._

The next day by noon, Semoya created quite a pile of items on one of the downstairs worktables. Going back and forth up the stairs was getting old, and starting to become tiring. Many of the things like the dagger were already there, gleaming dully. None of the things were quite as sick as a shriveled hand, or head in a jar would have been, but they were still all creepy in their own right.

Using an identification spell she learned the previous year, she identified the contents of the vials in the thorny holder. All were poisons, extremely deadly. Looking them up she discovered that some were silent slow killers, others were quick and extremely painful poisons. Several of them were even mixed with venoms to increase their potency. The poisons immediately became the furthest most item on the table, covered up with everything that could go in front of them. With a heavy sigh, Semoya headed upstairs again to gather up the remaining items. One of the items happened to be the obsidian snake, and as she reached for it, grabbing it around the throat, she suddenly jerked back, feeling a sharp prick on her hand.

"Ow! Hey!" Semoya cried out as blood welled up. Applying pressure to the wound, Semoya glared daggers at the statue. "Stupid snake." She muttered. Barely a moment later, Semoya started to feel a strange numbness in her feet, slowly working its way up her legs. As her knees succumbed, she entertained many vicious demises for the statue. "Must be poisoned." She gasped as she collapsed to the ground, her legs no longer able to support her. Slowly the numbness spread through her body, and Semoya could only wish that she had never touched the snake in the first place. As she struggled for breath, she saw a pair of gold clawed feet stop in front of her. Shifting her eyes just enough, she saw the phoenix staring at the blood on her hand. _Phoenix's tears have healing properties! _ She remembered suddenly. "Help…me…" she rasped, looking pleadingly at the phoenix, her mouth ceasing to work, not allowing anything else to come out.

The phoenix bent her head down, and as the pearlescent tears fell on the wound, Semoya saw in her mind, an image of what her phoenix would look like in full plumage. Her colors were as bright and beautiful as the sky as the sun fell behind the hills each night. "Sunfall." Semoya whispered as her vision faded to black. "Your name is Sunfall."

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A/N: I do hope to get the next chapter up soon. Sorry that I haven't done anything with this story for so long. I just finally kinda got the idea back. The idea is going to be a little different, but still very much the same to some extent. I did cut out quite a bit (the story went down over 2,000 words, but hopefully it's for the best.) I'll try to work on it more.

I didn't repost the review replies cause I figure everyone who wanted to see them already has. I will respond to reviews if anyone still wants to review this.


	11. The Black Heart

**A/N:** Okay, for anyone just reading this chapter, in case you didn't know, I have reposted all chapters. No major changes really, just condensing the details and stuff like that. I am trying to continue this story. Also, if you didn't read the updated info on this story it is an alternate 6th year where nothing JK Rowling wrote applies. Cheers. :D

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**Chapter 11: The Black Heart**

When her vision cleared, Semoya was once again staring at Sunfall, still a young, immature phoenix, but a caring and generous one. Somehow, Semoya felt that Sunfall had just expressed her acceptance of Semoya as caregiver and friend. It seemed that a connection was forged; a friendship that wouldn't be broken except should Semoya no longer walk among the living, then Sunfall would leave. In her heart, Semoya knew that Sunfall's bond with her was a bond of hearts, of similar personalities, and of life. They rescued each other, and it wasn't out of duty, which made the difference.

Bour Fig whined from near the door, and Semoya sat up, cradling Sunfall in her arms. Glaring at the snake, she stood up unsteadily, grabbing it by the tail and walking out of the room and to the dungeon. Fig followed as they all together went down. Setting the snake on the back of the table, Semoya decided that one near death experience a day was more than enough. Still feeling a little wobbly, Semoya headed into the kitchen and made lunch for everyone, marveling for a moment at how quickly her little family had grown. After lunch, Semoya went back to her books, grabbing a few and heading to her room. No more hard work for today. Laying in bed reading, Semoya didn't even realize that she was tired until too late.

Waking up a few hours later, Semoya discovered Fig and Sunfall curled up with her, her head lying on an open book. "Wow." Semoya muttered. "Of all people I usually don't fall asleep while reading." Stretching she admitted to herself that that nap had done her a lot of good. She no longer felt shaky from the poison. Of course, Sunfall probably had a large part in that.

Reaching carefully over the side of her bed, Semoya grabbed her calendar book from its place in her trunk. Looking at it she realized that it was now the middle of August. _Wow._ Semoya thought. _Time sure has flown, but then again, I have been super busy. And I still haven't cleaned out the vault._ Before she could decide to go clean it, her stomach gave a little gurgle. She was starting to get hungry. As if they both agreed with her stomach Fig and Sunfall woke up.

After eating, Semoya headed down to the dungeon. Opening the vault she stared into it, taking in the contents once more. It was about like discovering a pirates treasure trove she decided. Shaking herself out of her reverie, she waded, literally, into the vault. Soon she was making piles of money, jewelry, statuettes, and other items.

Working for hours, Semoya finally dragged herself to bed. She knew she had more money than many people could even imagine in their lives down there, not to mention gorgeous jewelry. There were some questionable items down there too, but the most intriguing were those she couldn't identify, like a seemingly blank parchment, a sphere of crystal with gold inlaid etchings like bands across its surface, and a solid gold, anatomically correct heart that looked as if it had been cut out of some being because of the silver streaking down it like blood. Trying to calm her mind and settle her curiosity proved hard, but she was finally able to fall asleep.

Semoya jerked awake, wide eyed from a rather disturbing dream. Fortunately it was fading already, but she remembered that it had something to do with snakes. Quickly she got up and got breakfast going. Although the work was going fast Semoya hardly felt like she was accomplishing anything. Then she also remembered that she'd need to take a day or two and get her supplies for Hogwarts. She'd already been to Diagon Alley many times, but she still hadn't gotten her supplies.

Taking her time this morning, Semoya went to the library again, figuring if the items were in the house than there were most likely books on them in the house as well. Finally she gathered a stack of books and headed down to the dungeon to figure out what the items were, but also to keep working.

After reading through two of the books and finding nothing, Semoya stretched, noticing for the first time that the pile of jewelry was becoming rather tangled sitting as it was so instead of opening another book, Semoya proceeded to start to untangle the jewelry and lay it flat on the floor. As she did this, one piece in particular caught her attention, a black jewel in the shape of a heart with a clear, diamond like heart embedded in the center hanging on a fine silver chain. When she untangled it and started to move it to another section of the floor, it started to almost hum. About this point Semoya started to get nervous. Humming and magical items could be dangerous. Quickly setting it down she backed away, bumping into the table where she'd put all of the dark items she'd scrounged from the rest of the house. Staring at the necklace she almost missed the faint humming that was now also coming from behind her.

Turning, Semoya started to carefully search for the one item that appeared to be responding to the hum of the necklace, prepared to chuck both of them out the front door if they appeared to be doing something dangerous. Finally she located the item, the crystal ball balanced on the claws of a dragon, a heart shaped imprint in the palm. Suddenly she realized that the size and shape of the imprint were about the same as that necklace. _Is there some relation?_ Semoya wondered, picking up the crystal and setting it on the floor next to the necklace. The humming got louder and more insistent as the two items neared each other.

Semoya then decided to do something decidedly reckless. Picking up the necklace she placed the heart in the dragons palm and pressed it down into the imprint. It slid into place with a tiny click, and the humming stopped. She held her breath and watched as the dark center of the crystal expanded until the crystal was no longer clear, but rather black. There was a small flicker, but everything remained black. What she estimated to be six flickers later, Semoya gasped. Instead of darkness she now saw what appeared to be someone's bedroom.

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A/N: Again, sorry I put this off for so long. Got caught up in school and other stuff and just couldn't think enough to write. I hope there are still people reading and I apologize to anyone who was reading for the amount of time it took to get back to this story. I also noticed that this story has somehow been put into a Harry Potter Rues C2 and had to laugh my head off at that.

**sirius black and remy**; **Mystic Archer Horse**; and **An Anti-Sheep Cheese Muffin**: Thank you all for reviewing the last chapter eons ago. Glad you liked it and I hope you are all still interested in reading this. (I finally found my notes again :D)

Will accept all reviews, especially weird ones. Any flames will be used to grill hot dogs and then extinguished.


	12. Surprises

**Chapter 12: Surprises**

All she could do was stare. This was unexpected. Just as Semoya started to look closer at the image, it flickered back to black.

"Wait!" Semoya cried out, "go back!" Involuntarily she touched the sphere and then jerked away as the image changed back to that of the room. "Did…I do that?" she wondered aloud. Looking a little closer Semoya noticed that the room quite obviously belonged to a girl. A wardrobe in the corner was slightly open and she was barely able to make out a set of robes with what looked like a crest of some sort on it. She couldn't tell what it was, but it looked green. Then Semoya started to really realize what she was doing.

Abruptly she pulled the black heart out of its imprint, watching as the scene vanished and the darkness retreated to the center of the crystal. She let out a breath she didn't realize she'd been holding. Without realizing it she'd invaded someone's privacy. Then it suddenly occurred to her. _What if this thing works both ways?_ Carrying it up the stairs like it was as dangerous as poison, Semoya put it in the yellow room, facing the wall, so that if someone really could see back through it, all they would ever see would be yellow. _I probably shouldn't leave the necklace in here with it since it seems to need both to look into...wherever that was._ Semoya thought, taking the necklace with her and shutting the door firmly as she left.

On her way back down to the dungeon, Semoya spotted a letter on the floor near the door. Curious she picked it up. It was a letter from Professor McGonagall. Then she remembered, she'd written Professor McGonagall a few days ago asking about Hogwarts and any sorts of procedures and rules that she'd need to know about before getting there, like dormitories and other commonalities. Scanning the reply she descended into the dungeon. Professor McGonagall suggested a meeting at the Leaky Cauldron on the 28th, also suggesting that she might desire to stay there until they left for Hogwarts since it was closer to King's Cross Station than her current location.

As she went to lay the necklace on a table a little bit set apart from the other jewelry, she tripped on her stack of books, knocking them over, several falling open in the process. Semoya rolled her eyes at herself in annoyance. Carefully setting the necklace on the table, she turned back to the books, and then froze, staring at one of the open pages. On it was an illustration that almost exactly matched the silver and gold bloodied heart in the vault. Picking up the book Semoya started to read.

When she had read the pages, all she could do was stare at the heart. It was worth far more than she had ever imagined, but its true value was not in monetary worth, but rather its purpose. Semoya now unwittingly possessed the Dragon's Heart. It was not just another figurine, but rather the magical heart of the Royal Dragons, a breed of dragon that was exceedingly rare and powerful. The heart itself was the heart of the first King of the Royals, cut from his chest by evil wizards when they killed him. The Heart possessed the will of the first King Dragon, the one who had the power to command all dragons. Whoever possessed the heart possessed the power of the dragons. Semoya's breath caught in her throat as she read: The Royal Dragons were the ancestral keepers of the Dragon's Heart and they protected it fiercely up until almost two decades ago when it was stolen by unknown wizards.

Almost two decades ago her ancestors had gone into the lair of the Royal Dragons and taken their most sacred possession. Now more than ever Semoya was tempted to go over to a wall and start banging her head against it. Dark items were easier to handle mentally. All she had to do was say to herself: 'it's evil, deal with it.' But this, this was not an evil item, but rather something extremely powerful and disturbing. To think that, while holding this heart, she could command the dragons to do 

whatever she wanted them to do. Therefore the Dragon's Heart was in essence, worth more than the entire contents of the vault, house, grounds, and even the entire country put together.

Standing back, Semoya took a moment to stare at the treasure trove scattered about her. It was amazing really. To amass this kind of wealth and these sorts of objects had either taken years, or her ancestors had taken them greedily by force. Several of the items were still unidentified, and potentially similar in worth to the Dragon's Heart.

Still, she had to admit, they had some good taste. Most of the jewelry was expensive looking and very beautiful. The statues were either so odd she didn't know what to make of them, or so expensive looking she felt that there must have been some value to their eccentricities. A grudgingly tiny bit.

For a few minutes Semoya just sat there, staring. Personally she felt it too dangerous to leave the Dragon's Heart here in the house, but she really didn't know where else to put it. She had no specific attachment to the thing, but there was no way she was going to leave it anywhere it could be found. Then she made a decision, one that could very well be the stupidest, or at least most dangerous, decision she'd ever made. She was going to return the Dragon's Heart to the Royal Dragons.

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******A/N:** Reviews are your friend. Well...they're mine at least.

******Mystic Archer Horse:** Thanks for the review!! Unfortunately the bedroom is none of the above, but eventually you will understand why. It would be extremely hilarious to have it be Voldie's, but I have another insane idea for him...later in the story...

**PS:** Sorry about it being bolded the first time. Didn't notice until you reviewed.

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